Self-care and Home-care

I have a confession to make...I am a closet homemaker. One of my favorite books of all time is Home Comforts, The Art and Science of Keeping House by Cheryl Mendelson. There is something so incredibly satisfying and comforting about living in a space that feels comfortable and beautiful to you and that works well for your life.

But I recently realized that what was causing me a great deal of stress these days in that my home was no longer working well for my life. My life has changed so dramatically over the past year with returning to school and changing careers and I didn't make time to stop and re-organize my surroundings to match the life we are now living in our home.

Suddenly it hit me that I needed to make some changes....now! So I have been on an organizing kick this week and it feels wonderful. One of my favorite tasks has been realizing that I can't stand the amount of space that gets taken up by CDs and DVDs. So I am recycling all the cases and moving all of my media into binders. I found some beautiful binders at Russell and Hazel ans CD binders at IKEA, a great online store with a tagline I love- Add life to your work.

I also finally bought a book shelf to house the dozens of new books that returning to school has brought into my life and I am inspired to bring back an old tradition called the Homekeeping Notebook. I found a great blog about it which you can check out here.

I admit, I have neglected a few workouts and I have cooked a little less than usual this week but, for right now, I recognize that my self-care is my home-care. And I know once I complete some of this and feel happier in the space we are living in, my energy will shift back into other areas of my self-care. It is all about balance, right?

Food Focus: Greens

Leafy greens are some of the easiest and most beneficial vegetables to incorporate into your daily routine. Densely packed with energy and nutrients, they grow upward to the sky, absorbing the sun’s light while producing oxygen. Members of this royal green family include kale, collard greens, swiss chard, mustard greens, arugula, dandelion greens, broccoli rabe, watercress, beet greens, bok choy, napa cabbage, green cabbage, spinach and broccoli.

How do greens benefit our bodies? They are very high in calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorous and zinc, and are a powerhouse for vitamins A, C, E and K. They are crammed full of fiber, folic acid, chlorophyll and many other micronutrients and phytochemicals. Their color is associated with spring, which is a time of renewal and refreshing, vital energy. In traditional Asian medicine, the color green is related to the liver, emotional stability and creativity. Greens aid in purifying the blood, strengthening the immune system, improving liver, gall bladder and kidney function, fighting depression, clearing congestion, improving circulation and keeping your skin clear and blemish free.

Leafy greens are the vegetables most missing from the American diet, and many of us never learned how to prepare them. Start with a simple recipe such this one or this one. Then each time you go to the market, pick up a new green to try. Soon you’ll find your favorite greens and wonder how you ever lived without them.

For more about greens, get this great book Greens Glorious Greens

Adapted with permission from Integrative Nutrition.

Shiitake and Kale

Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
1 bunch kale, chopped
pinch of salt


Directions:
1. Warm oil in pan on medium heat with minced garlic until aromas of garlic are released, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add chopped shiitake mushrooms, stir-fry for 5 minutes.
3. Add chopped kale, stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
4. Add a splash of water and pinch of salt to pan, cover and let steam for 4 minutes.


Used with permission from Integrative Nutrition.

The Coffee Thing and Other Experiments

I promised several weeks ago that I would post soon about my no-coffee experiment. It has been interesting. As you may know, I am a coffee lover. I love the smell of it, I love the taste of it, I love a good coffee shop. I just love it.

Recently, however, I wasn't sure it was loving me back. I have had a really busy year and in January I was really starting to feel the stress accumulate in my body in an intense kind of way. I tried to tune in and really understand what I might need to change and I got the message that coffee might not be working for me.

My coffee consumption was about 1 cup a day of 1/2 regular coffee, 1/2 decaf. So I stopped it and switched to tea for about six weeks. It was interesting. I felt better, I lost a few pounds I had been hanging on to for a few months. I believe the weight loss was partly due to just the overall stress reduction. But there are also some folks who see a connection between coffee and blood sugar levels that could affect weight. You can check out an interesting article here.

So I was going along quite merrily without my coffee for several weeks and actually not missing it and feeling quite good. Then I decided to experiment with tweaking my diet a bit by doing an elimination of wheat and dairy for a week. The idea was not to eliminate these things from my diet permanently but just to see how I felt when I removed them and then reintroduced them.

Well guess what? I did that for about six days and then I wanted coffee again.

Am I telling you all this to confuse you? NO, hopefully the opposite. What I hope to share with you is that these past two months have been a really good reminder to me that the best changes happen slowly over time. I tried to do too much too close together and I really saw the tendency within myself to overdo the experimentation.

I think a lot of us do this. We make a change, we see some success, we want more success, we make more changes. But sometimes, if we really haven't given our bodies and our minds the opportunity to fully adjust to the last change, introducing another change may not only not succeed but it may undo some of the positive changes we have already made.

My advice (from personal experience)- go easy on yourself! Make changes slowly over time and they will be far more likely to last.

Oh, and in case you are wondering about the results of my experiment:

1. I started drinking coffee again but not daily and now mostly decaf.

2. I didn't notice any significant impact of reintroducing wheat and dairy but I am sure both of them only work well for me in real moderation.

3. I am not doing any more experimenting for a while. Well, only with my hair. I just got most of it chopped off for the first time in more than 10 years and that felt great!

What I'm eating today

I get asked this question pretty regularly so I thought I'd post a day in my food life every so often. Here goes today:

Breakfast: A smoothie. Today it included whey protein powder (I don't always do protein powder but I felt like I needed it. My choice is Jay Robb- no artificial stuff in it) and water. I also threw in some almond butter, some ground flax seeds, a little banana, some frozen strawberries and some collard greens. The greens definitely turn the smoothie green and they taste great. This is an awesome way to get your greens in!

Snack: My favorite- Ezekial Toast with Almond Butter and Agave. I also had a cup of tea with rice milk (I am day 8 no coffee here so I will post more on that soon).

Lunch: Leftovers from dinner last night- Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Quinoa (I steam them in my rice cooker to warm them up) along with some whole wheat pita and homemade hummus.

Snack: Apple

Dinner: Salad, Black Beans, Broccoli and a little Brown Rice with Barley

Ok...it isn't over yet. I stayed up too late and got hungry so, yes, I ate again (which I normally don't like to do because I think I sleep better if I stop eating a few hours before bed).

The last snack: Some protein powder and water with a spoon of coconut oil and a spoon of raw cacao nibs. Yum.

This is definately still reflecting some winter eating habits (ie: eating kind of a lot!). I sense a spring greening in my future and some lighter eating on it's way. Stay tuned...

***Disclaimer- Not every day is exactly like this. Someday I will confess about my love of the Fat Witch Bakery Brownies***

Reinventing Date Night

Check out this article on Reinventing Date Night:

New York Times Article

I am not suggesting you crawl across the floor with your hands and feet tied (don't freak out, you have to read the article to know what I mean) but maybe a new hobby with the love of your life could be good for your relationship?

I'll let you know if Rod and I decide to take up country line dancing or play racquetball or fly to Italy sometime soon.

Preventative Eating and My Favorite Snack

I'm not a big fan of eating when you are not hungry but I've had enough poorly planned meal times to know that if I don't think ahead, I don't always leave myself with great choices.

So I am sitting at my desk and having my tea (more on my no-coffee experiment later!) and I decide to run out to Target to pick up a couple things I need and take a break from my computer.

I'm not really hungry yet. BUT I know I am going to be gone for an hour or more and I will probably be starving before I get back. This all sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? But how many times have you left yourself stranded without a good choice of something to eat?

In these kinds of moments, you've got to either pack a healthy snack to bring with you or do what I call some "Preventative Eating". In this case, for me, it is my favorite snack in the whole world:

Ezekiel 4:9 Toast with Almond or CashewButter (I prefer Raw Organic Tree of Life) and a little bit of Agave Syrup or Raw Honey (buy Raw Honey locally when you can and check out this link for more on the benefits of raw honey!)

Yum!

Now I'm off to the store and I know I won't get hungry because, really, what in the world are you going to eat at Target? It kind of scares me to think about it...

Happy Valentine's Day

What are you doing for Valentine's Day?

At our house it is a family event and we've decided to skip the chocolates and the store bought cards and go for something more personal.

We're cutting paper hearts and making a kid and adult friendly I Love You Dinner. Aside from Nick insisting on using glue with no help from Mom, so far the planning is going well.

So what is an I Love You Dinner? Well, for the moment, it means that everyone gets to pick one part of the dinner. We're saying "I love you" by cooking our favorite foods. So far (you won't even believe it) the kids have chosen Chicken and Broccoli. I don't know when Alexa is going to remember that cake exists but I am expecting it to come up when we start talking about dessert. Rod and I haven't decided on our choices yet but I am leaning towards Miso Soup.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Heart Day to you and everyone you love. Oh, and don't forget, Dark Chocolate (70% and above) is actually good for you in small quantities. One of my favorites is Green and Black's 70% Dark. Green and Black's is committed to ethical trading and organic products. Check them out here.

Preschool Cooking Class- Hummus

Alexa and Caroline at the Small Scholars Cooking Class.

Miss Cathy's class of four and five year olds had a great time talking about whole foods and making hummus.

My kids love this as a dip for carrots or cucumbers or as a spread on whole wheat pita. We tend to double or triple the recipe and it keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks. You can always add a bit of olive oil if it starts to get a little too thick.

Everybody Loves it Hummus

1 can organic garbanzo beans – rinsed and peeled
1 clove garlic
2 tbp fresh lemon juice (about ½ lemon)
3 tbsp tahini
½ tsp sea salt
Aprox ¼ cup water (add a little at a time to get the right consistency)
Aprox 2 tbsp really good tasting olive oil

· Throw this all in a food processor and mix until smooth or put it all in a bowl and mix it up with an immersion blender (just a little more effort but it works great).
· Adjust the amount of oil and water for texture and taste
· Optional add-ins: pepper, cumin, paprika (the kids tend to like it better without these)
· You can easily double or triple this recipe
· An easy way to peel the beans is to rinse them in a colander then put them in a bowl of water while you peel them. The skins tend to float to the top. You can just skip the annoying task of peeling the beans if you want to do this super fast but the texture is a lot smoother when they are peeled. Don’t worry about getting every single one if it is driving you crazy.

Extra bonus- making hummus at home saves money! Especially if you want to make it organic.

Reducing the Noise...and Tuning in

Do you ever get mad at yourself for craving something you "know you shouldn't have"? For most of us it is usually sugar, right?

But our bodies are amazingly intelligent, aren't they? Your heart beats, your blood circulates, how many incredible things does your body do for you without you ever having to think about it?

And yet...when the craving for something "bad" hits, why don't we trust ourselves? Why don't we recognize that our body really does know what it is doing?

I'm going to post more soon about cravings but for now I'd like to suggest something to consider:

If our bodies are super intelligent, then the messages they send us about what we need have real value. But what if our interpretation skills are a little off?

What if our body says....REST! And we hear...SUGAR! (Because, probably, we're too busy to rest). What if our body says...SLOW DOWN! And we hear...COFFEE! (Again, sorry, too busy!).

In her book Healthy Living from the Inside Out, Mariel Hemingway talks about "noisy foods". Noisy foods are processed sugar, caffeine, and chemical additives.

Take a moment to think about the possibilty that the noisy foods you are consuming might be interfering with your ability to correctly interpret what your body is saying. What if you could reduce the noise a bit and tune in to what your body is really trying to tell you?

More on cravings soon. In the meanwhile, I will be working on reducing the noise in my body and my house tomorrow since the impending snow storm here in Massachusetts may mean the kids will be home from school!